Stump grinder build

[Grouse Feathers]

I have been reading your thread with much interest and envy. Looks like a high quality build beyond what most of us could do and better quality then we could buy.
I am no expert on hydraulics so I guess this is more of a question than a suggestion. Would a valve with regen, like the loader bucket tilt, solve your problem with controlling depth of cut?

 

[Tarmy]

Been following from the beginning...love your effort...nothing like figuring something out, making it and then enjoying the use of it. I wish I had some of your milling machines and skills...

Labor of love, excellent build, great effort posting the build progress...

So I have to ask...how many man hours?...And I know it doesn't matter...just figured that at minimum wage x number of hours...I might be able to afford to buy it from you...

This forum is great because of guys like you! Thanks.

 

[Yooper]

Yoop,

Your detailed and well written post on building this beautiful piece of machinery is undoubtedly hands down the most enjoyable post that I have ever followed!

I occasionally make a post with a few pics and it can take an amazing amount of time to do just a few pics with a good description/explanation - and here you are with dozens (hundreds?) of updates with dozens (hundreds?) of pictures. This had to eat into your work time on this involved build!!

And believe you me ---- we APPRECIATE IT!!

Bill Pace

Thanks Bill! It really didn't take that much time to post the progress of the build. The pictures do most of the talking and explaining. I'd just have remember to take them as I went along and there were a couple of times when I should have but didn't. I saved all the pictures I took to a folder on my computer. It will be fun to look at them in the future, providing I live long enough!

 

[Yooper]

I have been reading your thread with much interest and envy. Looks like a high quality build beyond what most of us could do and better quality then we could buy.
I am no expert on hydraulics so I guess this is more of a question than a suggestion. Would a valve with regen, like the loader bucket tilt, solve your problem with controlling depth of cut?

Well, you got me to research regen valves because I didn't know what they were. It looks like their main purpose is to equalize speed on a double acting cylinder. If I understand it right from my quick research, it would speed up my cylinder to match the speed of the retract side, which is the opposite of what I want.
But thanks! I learned something new!

 

[Yooper]

Been following from the beginning...love your effort...nothing like figuring something out, making it and then enjoying the use of it. I wish I had some of your milling machines and skills...

Labor of love, excellent build, great effort posting the build progress...

So I have to ask...how many man hours?...And I know it doesn't matter...just figured that at minimum wage x number of hours...I might be able to afford to buy it from you...

This forum is great because of guys like you! Thanks.

Well, I tried to come up with a number for you, but found it impossible to get a reasonably close guess. Too many variables! I will say it was mostly late mornings and afternoons on the weekends this summer.

 

[Grouse Feathers]

Well, you got me to research regen valves because I didn't know what they were. It looks like their main purpose is to equalize speed on a double acting cylinder. If I understand it right from my quick research, it would speed up my cylinder to match the speed of the retract side, which is the opposite of what I want.
But thanks! I learned something new!

As I understand regen it is a two stage valve in the retract direction. The first stage puts valve output on both sides of the piston and the piston moves slowly driven by the difference in area of the top and bottom of the piston. The second stage dumps the fluid to the bottom of the piston and the piston moves fast. The tilt on the loader bucket has regen.

 

[npalen]

Add this old farm boy to the list of those very much impressed by your skills, Yooper.
If you had it to do over again, would you consider making the 3PT frame and the hydraulic reservoir as one unit? Would look something like a ballast box, I guess.
Speaking of "guesses", the second one is always the easiest. At least for me it is.
I found and read this entire thread today. Keep up the good work!!

 

[npalen]

As I understand regen it is a two stage valve in the retract direction. The first stage puts valve output on both sides of the piston and the piston moves slowly driven by the difference in area of the top and bottom of the piston. The second stage dumps the fluid to the bottom of the piston and the piston moves fast. The tilt on the loader bucket has regen.

I thought the first position on the regen valve would dump the bucket normally with the valve output going to the base end of the bucket cylinders.
When the valve is shifted further to the second position, the valve "regenerates" by adding the fluid coming out of the rod end of the bucket cylinders to the normal output of the valve thus nearly doubling the dump speed.
Could be wrong. Have been many times in the past.

 

[procraftmike]

Just spent my lunch hour at work going through 29 pages of this thread. All I can say is wow!! Incredible work! If the world is going to come to an end, I'm moving next door to you....lol.

Congrats on your skills and workmanship!

 

[Yooper]

Add this old farm boy to the list of those very much impressed by your skills, Yooper.
If you had it to do over again, would you consider making the 3PT frame and the hydraulic reservoir as one unit? Would look something like a ballast box, I guess.
Speaking of "guesses", the second one is always the easiest. At least for me it is.
I found and read this entire thread today. Keep up the good work!!

That thought did cross my mind, but I dismissed it for fear of the stresses causing an oil leak. Figured it was better to 'float' back there.

Thank you very much for the compliments!

 

[Yooper]

Just spent my lunch hour at work going through 29 pages of this thread. All I can say is wow!! Incredible work! If the world is going to come to an end, I'm moving next door to you....lol.

Congrats on your skills and workmanship!

Well, thank you for the nice words!

 

[Yooper]

Yikes! I just looked at the views on this thread and we're closing in on 20K.

A little update. I ground about forty stumps this fall and other than several oil leaks, it performed without any issues. The oil leaks were all on npt fittings that I didn't tighten with a three foot extension. I'm going back to teflon tape. Don't care about the warnings!

The Greenteeth cutters show no wear. I'm quite pleased with their durability considering what they go through, including dirt.

I also wouldn't mind having twice as much horsepower, but isn't that the case with all of us tractor owners?

 

[Yooper]

Well, today marks the last stump on my property that I will grind with my stumpgrinder. Had to wait until the ground was frozen because it was in a low spot with seemingly no bottom. Probably have ground over 400 stumps with it and it has worked flawlessly as well as the L3901. Here is a short video of the last grind. https://youtu.be/ScgOcJ5ExgY

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Well, today marks the last stump on my property that I will grind with my stumpgrinder. Had to wait until the ground was frozen because it was in a low spot with seemingly no bottom. Probably have ground over 400 stumps with it and it has worked flawlessly as well as the L3901. Here is a short video of the last grind. https://youtu.be/ScgOcJ5ExgY

Your video comes up as private, we can't view it.

 

[Yooper]

I think its fixed?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I think its fixed?

Yeppers that did it!

That grinder is sweet!

 

[OC455]

How did I not see this thread...amazing build. Just reading through all the pages has answered a few questions I've had about PTO pumps myself.

Would like to know if one of these PTO pumps can be used on a BX?

 

[mdhughes]

Well, today marks the last stump on my property that I will grind with my stumpgrinder. Had to wait until the ground was frozen because it was in a low spot with seemingly no bottom. Probably have ground over 400 stumps with it and it has worked flawlessly as well as the L3901. Here is a short video of the last grind. https://youtu.be/ScgOcJ5ExgY

To bad you live so far away, you could come do some of my stumps! Glad to see that you build has held up. I was impressed with it when you built it, now after 400 stumps, I'm really impressed.

How many hours do you have on your L3901? I have right at 380 and have been very happy with it.

 

[Yooper]

270 hours. Just did a regen at 268 and it seems like the time it takes to do one is getting shorter. Very happy with my tractor!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Nice job. I too have the capability to build one but not the ambition. Just bought a BaumaLite grinder.